Thousands of citizen scientists have logged over 1.5 MILLION pieces of litter and debris all over the world!

How do I Start Tracking?

The new app update is here! Check out the tutorial video above to learn about all the new features and get started tracking.
Marine Debris Tracker is available in Google Play and on iTunes for iPhone and iPad.
After reading below, if you have further questions about how to track or other issues, see our FAQ.
One you download the app and open it, you will be taken to the start page. For all default tracking (and unless you have been told to use another, alternative list), click Start Tracking to begin.

Next, simply click on one of the categories of items to find the item you want to track. Click the green Log button and the item GPS coordinates will be taken. The counter at the top “View and Submit # Items” will increase by one each time you hit a green Log button. You may also click on any item name in the list to be able to add a description or photo (Note: photos taken here will not be submitted to us, but tagged in the data set for you to note where it is on your phone).

Next, you can either add more items or you can View and Submit and you will get the screen, below. You can view the items you have logged in a List View or a Map View. In both cases, you can choose to delete any item that you do not want to submit. You can go back to tracking or you can Submit your items to the database.

You may submit the data in a few ways. 1) Submit as a MDT user (you either register at this point or already have a username and password. All that is required to register is an email. If you have a username and password, you can download your data later). 2) Submit anonymously or 3) Save as a CSV file (in case you want to backup your data if you are currently offline. Your data should stay in the app memory until you submit it, however, but backing up data is extra safe).

Now, you can share your finds with the world. If you choose to share, a story will be created on the MDT website that you can choose to share through Facebook, Twitter or Google. The photo, map or image you choose to place here is submitted to us.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue, for more info about marine debris, go here. We hope you find the app fun and useful and that you now notice (and pick up) marine debris when you see it. Help us to spread the word about Marine Debris Tracker – share the app on your blog, Facebook or Twitter!